Creek Bed Sand for bedding

[coffeekittie]

I think I need to start hanging out in the Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps thread!!!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Wilco sometimes has it cheaper. It pays to shop around to save a buck and then buy like 6 bags at once LOL.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Nice to hear from fellow PNW folks I am almost finished with my run and have used sand. I did use what they called leveling sand with a few inches of gravel below. Hope it will work. I have not raised chickens here before and was not aware of the wet coop issue, but sure makes sense. I wondered if I could put a couple large mossy logs in the run for them to peck and scratch for bugs. Insights appreciated and thanks!

Yes my chickens eat the moss off the logs and seem to relish it. I have sticks and branches all over the place, in various stages of being chopped up. Roll them over and yumm time for them- bugs galore underneath. Carpenter ants and termites will move in on the underside, so don't put it up next to your home is my advice.

 

[jcwaterside]

Thanks! I am glad I made the decision to use sand, but want to do what I can to enhance their environment. Mossy logs are abound on the coast!

 

[sphillips]

I've heard the river stand is best because it's sharp/corse and dust free. The sharpness will keep the chickens feet clean but will grind the sand down into fine powder in 6mo to a year so wet it before changing it out. I'm in the PNW(WA) as well. I'm dreading the wet/dampness for when I build my coop.

This sand is dry, as is everything else around here. Been in a drought for the last several years, and I don't even know what wet anything is anymore. This sand is what you'd find in a dried river basin or wash, and I think it will work great. It's only $7 a ton, and I need 7 tons. So very affordable

 

[Backyard Bob]

Why don't you just keep the dirt floor? Thats all I have ever had.

 

[3arthm0ther]

Personally I want sand because it looks nice and is dryer then the constantly wet ground in wa

 

[sphillips]

Why don't you just keep the dirt floor? Thats all I have ever had.

Backyard Bob,

I have thought about just keeping the dirt, the floor is already very compacted. I just pick up poo daily with a pooper scooper, and rake it out once a week. It's dry here, (very), so do you think that dirt would be 'clean' enough for them? What about bedding for winter time when it gets colder?

 

[Backyard Bob]

Backyard Bob,

I have thought about just keeping the dirt, the floor is already very compacted. I just pick up poo daily with a pooper scooper, and rake it out once a week. It's dry here, (very), so do you think that dirt would be 'clean' enough for them? What about bedding for winter time when it gets colder?

I have never had any problems with the dirt being 'dirty'! Lol I do not use bedding for them. But, you could use pine shavings/hay if you wanted to. My chickens have never had any additional heat/bedding. But, as I stated you could use pine shavings/hay if you would like. I just clean out under my roosts every few days, and the whole coop every week or two. What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[sphillips]

Backyard Bob: Right now I have 6 White Leghorns, about 8-10 wks old I'm guessing. I am expecting my new chicks any day now, Gold Laced Wyandottes, RIR, Speckled Sussex, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and more White Leghorns. I did research, to make sure I got heat tolerant birds, but got a new book this week that says only the Leghorns are heat tolerant. So, I hope they make it through the summer without suffering. It can get brutally hot here, and my coop is an old metal barn. We're going to insulate, and have an extra 'swamp cooler' that I may hook up once it starts to get hot, as long as it won't cause too much draft. The coop is well ventilated, but I have problems with the winds here lately, 40 mph sustained with 60 mph gusts every day this week. My chickens hate the wind, so they end up locked up after about noon when the winds really get up. I think if I stay with a dirt floor, my budget will allow for me to make more improvements on the coop instead, which I'm beginning to see is more important. My coop has been built using all 'recycled' materials from a pile of 'junk' that was here when we bought the house last summer, so it hasn't cost us anything yet. The building was already here, so that saved us a lot of money. I'm not sure about the roof on the coop leaking, as we haven't had more than 10" of rain in the last 3 years, but if there are leaks, they should be very easy to fix. Just want my chickens healthy and happy, and I'm new to this, so still trying to figure out what will work best.